Social Sciences Reviews | November 1, 2013

Indeed, this book holds true to its subtitle. Readers should be prepared to encounter a radically revised version of the life and death of Matthew Shepard, a college student whose gruesome 1998 murder in Laramie, WY, galvanized gay and social activists. According to seasoned screenwriter and investigative reporter Jimenez (ABC News 20/20; Dan Rather Reports; NOVA), the myth of Matt is simply that: a hagiography unrepresentative of the all-too-human man. Jimenez spent 13 years investigating Shepard’s savage death, returning to Laramie time and again in order to interview and reinterview the principal players in his life. Ultimately, Jimenez, who also is gay, demonstrates conclusively that Shepard was not a victim of a hate crime and a martyr for the gay cause but rather died because of his heavy involvement in the Colorado methamphetamine scene. Moreover, Jimenez establishes that Shepard was well acquainted with Aaron McKinney, his drug-crazed murderer, and that Russell Henderson, the other man convicted of the homicide, in fact did not actively participate in the killing. VERDICT This riveting true crime narrative will appeal to readers of books such as Norman Mailer’s The Executioner’s Song.—Lynne Maxwell, West Virginia Univ. Coll. of Law Lib., ­Morgantown

Armed with evidence-based data, Panero (director, Ctr. for Educational Leadership, Baruch Coll., CUNY) and Talbert (education, codirector, Ctr. for Research on the Context of Teaching, Stanford Univ.) here make a strong case for using “strategic inquiry” to improve schools. Strategic inquiry is based upon the Scaffolded Apprenticeship Model, which was developed for a high school in New York City in 2005 by Baruch College, and New York–based New Visions for Public Schools, and focuses on teacher participation and collaboration. The approach promotes the identification of specific impediments to student learning, develops ways to remove or alter those barriers, and actively involves teachers and administrators in implementing changes. The authors propose a model that emphasizes using small changes to bring about large ones. Using the “4 Ts”—teams, targets, tasks, and training—the design facilitates collaboration and helps identify and respond to student learning needs. This title includes a detailed case study demonstrating how its methods work, allowing readers to decide if they agree with the authors that strategic inquiry transforms schools and districts into learning organizations and requires the participation and commitment of all. VERDICT A carefully documented, research-based book that will appeal to teachers, educational researchers, and administrators, as it offers an alternative to the many education reform products on the market.—Jacqueline Snider, Iowa City

Tobin (journalism, Miami Univ., OH; ­Ernie Pyle’s War: America’s Eyewitness to World War II) shows his gifts as a veteran reporter, PhD historian, and biographer in this moving page-turner. Even if aspects of the thesis—that Franklin D. Roosevelt’s battle with polio transformed him—are familiar, Tobin conveys it marvelously. He supplies context on the disease itself and efforts at patient rehabilitation, while offering balanced and perceptive sketches of FDR, his cohorts, and the general public. After 39-year-old FDR was stricken with polio in 1921, it was his adviser Louis Howe’s journalistic and public skills that kept FDR politically viable as he demonstrated his mettle fighting both the disease and public opinion about a disabled person in public office. FDR became a teacher both to others afflicted with the disease and the public who feared it. Tobin has a real knack for capturing the essence of the historical figures he’s discussing. Much more than a mere rehashing of this aspect of FDR’s life, the book shows how his response to polio gives us insights into his character and how he would go on to battle the Great Depression and World War II enemies. VERDICT Tobin’s thoroughly enjoyable work will interest both scholars and general readers who seek stories of the human spirit triumphing over calamity. Highly recommended.—William D. Pederson, Louisiana State Univ., Shreveport

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Linteau, Paul-Andre.The History of Montréal: The Story of a Great North American City. Baraka. 2013. 201p. tr. from French by Peter McCambridge. illus. maps. index. ISBN 9781926824772. pap. $19.95; ebk. ISBN 9781926824819. HIST